x, 418 pages, [16] pages of plates : 21 cm

In 1958, Edward Teller, father of the H-bomb, unveiled his plan to detonate six nuclear bombs off the Alaskan coast to create a new harbor. However, the plan was blocked by a handful of Eskimos and biologists who succeeded in preventing massive nuclear devastation potentially far greater than that of the Chernobyl blast. The Firecracker Boys is a story of the U.S. government's arrogance and deception, and the brave people who fought against it, launching America's environmental movement. As one of Alaska's most prominent authors, Dan O'Neill brings to these pages his love of Alaska's landscape, his skill as a nature and science writer, and his determination to expose one of the most shocking chapters of the Nuclear Age. - Publisher

Originally published: New York : St. Martin's Press, 1994

Includes bibliographical references (pages 396-402) and index

The sea people of Tikigaq -- The Firecracker Boys -- We looked at the whole world -- A bomb on the world stage -- Fracas in Fairbanks -- Tent camp at Ogotoruk Creek -- Drop us a card -- Polarbasillen -- The AEC meets the eskimos -- Bikini, Nevada, Tikigaq : a trail of empty words -- The Committee and the Gang of Four -- Wolfe, Meat, and Wood -- Going public -- A national protest -- Drumbeats on the tundra -- Spiking the wheels of chariot -- Blacklisting -- Epilogue -- Afterword -- Methodology -- Notes -- Bibliography

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